So I had an idea cross my mind today that I wanted to share.

There have essentially been two problems with modern civilization from the standpoint of survival of our species.

  1. Enforced monogamy over the centuries and dependence of women on men for resources has allowed for people with less than desirable genes to procreate.

  2. Modern society has allowed for people to become soft and yet still survive and procreate. The safety and medical advances of our society has extended life and saved people that may otherwise never have had a chance in hunter-gatherer days. This in turn has caused a population explosion to the point that it threatens our planet and the resources out society needs to survive.

Think about what seems to be happening over the last 10 to 20 years. Women seem to be much more selective than they ever have been before in terms of picking a mate. Now that women no longer require a man to provide food and shelter they can be more selective. A lot of it is based on superficial physical characteristics. However the attractiveness and physical fitness of a potential mate generally means they are healthier and will have stronger offspring. I wonder if this will strengthen our gene pool over sufficient generations?

You'll also notice that women seem to be less concerned with having children. In fact many men are not as interested in having children and men in general seem to be having a harder time finding partners. This is being shown in the data that birth rates are dropping. I consider this good news because there are too many people on this planet.

So given the fact that we may have a strengthening of the gene pool and a downward pressure on population growth have we somehow passed through a paradigm that is increasing the likelihood and fitness of our species to survive?